CPIJ members submit Amici Curiae to the ICC concerning the Rohingya situation

June 2018 – On 18 June 2018, members of the Canadian Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ) submitted Amici Curiae observations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on legal issues arising from the Prosecutor’s request for a ruling on jurisdiction concerning the Rohingya being deported from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

The Prosecutor’s request under Article 19(3) of the Rome Statute is the first of its kind. She asked the Court to determine if it has jurisdiction over the situation of the Rohingya, who are currently being deported from Myanmar (a non State party to the Rome Statute) to Bangladesh (a State party). The cross-border nature of this crime, involving a country who is not a party to the Court, raises important legal questions about to the Court’s ability to adjudicate the matter.

The Amici Curiae provided the Court with observations, in support of the Prosecutor’s arguments, on three distinct issues. First, the scope of Article 19(3) and the powers of the Prosecutor to seek a ruling on jurisdiction before a formal situation has been assigned to it. Second, the scope of the ICC’s territorial jurisdiction under Article 12(2). Third, the scope of the crime of deportation under article 7(1)(d) of the Rome Statute. The full text of the observations can be found on the ICC website.

“We are proud to contribute to the development of complex judicial issues which are at the very heart of the Court’s work,” said Fannie Lafontaine, the Director of CPIJ. “In this case, it will be very important for the Court to provide clarity on its jurisdiction over cross-border crimes when a non-State party is involved.”

Members of CPIJ had submitted a request for leave on 25 May 2018 to provide these observations. The request was subsequently granted by the Court in a decision that recognized the extensive collective experience of CPIJ’s members in the field of international criminal law, human rights law, refugee law, migration and humanitarian law, as well as their previous interventions before domestic and international courts.